Viscid
by spirit-mage-234
Summary: It was a simple dare: go to the haunted loch and wait to see if the kelpie would appear for one night. Kaoru thought that the kelpie myth was a farce. Little did she know what would happen on that night would change her life forever...
1. Stuck

**Chapter One: Stuck**

**_Whether a handsome wanderer, a fierce hitokiri, a vampire, a demi-god, a rain deity, a crown prince, or the host of a demon, Kenshin doesn't belong to me._**

**Warnings: Bad attempt at William Goldman-style humor. Beware.**

It was a night that the village children usually dreaded to be out on, especially on a dare. It was chilly, windy, and damp (not to mention dark from the clouds covering the moon). Add a loch reputed to being haunted and you were in for an interesting (if not emotionally and psychologically traumatizing) night.

Not to Kaoru though.

The girl sat on a log sturdy enough to not rot from underneath her, on the edge of the loch, a mighty distance away from the village that she resided in. Her hair was tied in a pony tail, and she wore work trousers, blouse, boots and all. The only delicate thing she wore was a plaid blanket wrapped around her shoulders to protect her from the chill. Her only light was the torch at her side.

Kaoru sat, chin propped on her hand, staring with glum out at the still waters before her. Why she had not a care in the world - actually, not really caring much at all - in a place full of supposed superstition didn't baffle Kaoru at all. She was just bored.

Or maybe, she just thought it was incredibly silly of her to be sitting on a cold, lonely night by a "haunted" loch to wait for the appearance of the kelpie.

That's right: the kelpie.

Everybody in Scotland was told about the legend of the kelpie, just like how the Orcadians were told about the selkies, who were beautiful women who could turn into seals via their sealskins, or how the Irish were told to quiver at the screech of the banshee. But unlike the beautiful fae and the omens of death, the kelpie was used as a means to keep the children in line, since the kelpie supposedly got its fill from children who wandered from the safety of their parents to the forbidden zones.

_How funny,_ Kaoru laughed inwardly. _Just another, silly, age-old technique to make little children be good. I can't believe I fell for it when I was child, _she warmly thought**, **but with hidden embarrassment. But what she couldn't understand was why the other village youths, ranging from ages fourteen to eighteen like herself, still believed in these childish bedtime stories. Couldn't they see that a disgruntled pony that had flesh of all things was clearly fiction?

"How immature," she said to herself, knowing that nobody else would hear her speak aloud.

Still, Kaoru just chuckled. Of course she could say how her fellow youths were immature, but alas, wasn't she just as immature to take up the silly dare in the first place? She was the only one - a girl - who was brave enough to take up the dare to stay out all night by the loch on a visual. Not even the boys, who took up every opportunity to show off their brawns and bravery to the girls, took up the dare.

"Maybe this is why I haven't been courted yet," Kaoru said, chuckling, but, at the same time, with disappointment. She was seventeen, almost eighteen, and still, not one boy has approached her with the intent on courting her. Maybe they were just too shy, but its was more than likely that the boys where intimidated by Kaoru, since she, at times such as these, were manlier than they. The boys were probably put at odds with the thought of having a wife who was tougher then they were. Kaoru scoffed. "Who cares about boys and marriage?" she said. "Who wants to be married to a wuss anyway?"

But Kaoru admitted that even though she thought that many of the dares were stupid - and that she took up the dares to show to the posse that their myths and legends were pure nonsense - she enjoyed showing them up by taking each and every dare that came her way. Yes, she loved adventure and being in the face of danger, and being the sole girl who would go out to seek that danger (or for the danger to seek her, but that had never occured). It was the little glint that filled up the void of boredom in her heart, since nothing ever happened in the quiet village that she had never taken a step out of in all of her years.

Kaoru pulled out her pocket watch to check the time. It was five minutes to midnight. She was told to stay out until at least past three; it was said by the village elders that from midnight to three were the "witching hours" - the peak of supernatural activity. At this time, she would have more of a chance to see the kelpie appear, but again, it was just another myth to Kaoru. She told herself, "if nothing happens at the stroke of midnight, I'm heading home. My eyes are yearning to go to sleep."

* * *

At that time, a distance away near the patches of trees that bordered the loch, a pair of amber eyes stood and watched at the girl sitting at the edge of the loch. Their iridescent glow remained unknown to her, since her back was turned toward the waters.

"She will be the perfect one," the being spoke with a masculine voice, as it rustled in the bushes nearing her position...

* * *

The hand moved to the position of twelve, indicating that the witching hour had begun. _Okay, this is it, _Kaoru told herself, spanning out all of her senses to scan the area. Her eyes scanned to inpenatrable darkness as best they could, her nose sniffed the air for any peculiar scents as her hears listened to the wind, trying to distinguish the wind's trickery with that of a creature moving the leaves.

"Is there anyone here, out on this loch on this cold night?" Kaoru announced.

No answer.

"I am looking for the infamed kelpie. Is he here?"

Still no answer.

As if involuntary, Kaoru tensed at the atmosphere that was brought about the witching hour. It was as if everything became, still, like a thick blanket smuggled any noise that could escape. If something were to happen, Kaoru wondered if anyone (or thing) would be able to hear her screams...

If something so horrific that would make Kaoru scream would happen...

...Which it wouldn't.

Kaoru waited, as still as she could be, just waiting. A breeze sifted through her ebony hair, threatening to blow her blanket from around her shoulders. The breeze howled, sending chill up Kaoru's spine. Suddenly, Kaoru heard a "plop" in the loch. Her heart jumped at the sound resonating from the water, but it soon settled upon hearing the croak of a frog. Definately not a kelpie.

"Well now," Kaoru said, wrapping the blanket around her for extra security. "This was a disappointing evening, but I'm going home. No doubt everyone will call me a chicken..." Kaoru looked up at the sky, covered with clouds, as she scratched her chin, thinking of what to say next.

"But if they say that, I'll just dare them to stay here for ONE hour." _And of course they won't, _Kaoru laughed to herself aloud.

Her laughing faultered when she heard the bushes from behind her rustling quite harshly.

A breathe sucked into Kaoru's lungs at the sound of the startling noise, but a breathe did not escape. The wind could not make a noise that loud, and from right behind her. Kaoru, at first, stayed absoletely still, as if death struck her, but life returned as her trembling heart caused her entire body to tremble. A lump formed in her throat, but it managed to dissolve when Kaoru spoke.

"Wh-who's there?" she asked to the darkness.

Her only reply was another rustling of the bushes.

Kaoru gasped at the sound. Kaoru admitted a lot of things that night, but she was afraid to admit that she was actually, well, afraid. So instead, she puckered up all of the courage that hadn't escaped her in order to turn around. But she couldn't see anything because of the darkness: the clouds blocked out the moonlight. She almost forgot that she had brought a torch with her, and, in her moments of fear, almost forgot to (and how) to pick it up from its sitting position by the log. She picked up the torch, but instead of aiming it directly in front of her, Kaoru aimed the light at different directions: first left, then right, then behind her, to the right again, up at the sky, toward the trees, once more to the left, and then finally, in front of her.

And if she wasn't screaming, Kaoru would have said how shocked she was to have spotted a man standing but a few meters away from her.

The discovery of the wierd man, standing like a silent spectre at the edge of the bushes, sent Kaoru screaming backwards, causing her to trip over the log. Her back arched when it made contact with the rotten log, which slightly delapedated from the force. So terrified was she that she didn't notice the man rushing toward her, perhaps to -

"Oh no!" the man said as he approached her fallen form. "I am so sorry miss! Are you alright?"

Upon hearing the voice's concern, Kaoru shut her mouth and decided to breathe, in and out. Once she caught her breathe, she shakily reached for the torch, and aimed it in the figure's face. He flinched at the bright light in his eyes, but he wasn't a vampire, nor was he a ghoul, a ghost, or of course, a pony. Instead, he was a bit taller than she, with pale skin, unusual amethyst eyes, and the most lucious red hair.

Oh, his hair.

Once again, Kaoru admitted that the strange man hovering over her was very handsome. _He has to be Irish (albeit no emerald eyes), _Kaoru said to herself as she stared on at the man, who was adjusting his vision from the spotlight. Of course, even if he wasn't Irish, it certainly wouldn't take away his looks.

"Excuse me, miss?" the man spoke up when he saw how the girl was just staring at him with almost drunken eyes. Kaoru shook herself out of her reverie, and said, "Oh I'm sorry. What was it that you were about to say?"

"Just that I am deeply sorry for scaring you," he said, beginning to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm, kind of lost... I got separated from my traveling party. I heard a voice (I suppose it was yours), so I followed it, hoping that they would help me find the nearest town to retrace my tracks."

After hearing the man's reasonably explaination, Kaoru nodded her head. "You can come to my village. It about forty minutes away, but we have an inn and tavern that you can spend the night in."

The man smiled. "That would be most delightful. Would you be so kind as to direct me there?"

Kaoru smiled in return. "Of course I will. Since I live in the same village, we can walk together. Just follow me."

"Okay, that I will," the man replied, offering his hand to help her the rest of the way up. Kaoru blushed, but it disappeared as she took his hand, allowing him to pull her up from the ground. She shook off the compost matter from off of her body. "By the way, my name is Kenshin," the man introduced. Kaoru nodded. "My name is Kaoru. Pleased to meet you." Seeing that their hands were already connected, they shook.

Kaoru moved in front of his position, proceeding to walk. "The village is right across from this clearing after we head out of the woods. Just stay close so you won't fall be-"

Kaoru stopped when she realized that she - or maybe more _he_ - was still holding hands with Kenshin, which was very peculiar.

"Um," she began, "I'm not going to go tumbling down again like I did before, and my balance is fine, so, you don't have to continue holding my hand..." Kaoru tried to make it sound as politely as possible.

"Huh? Oh!" Kenshin said, ratherly dumbly. "Well, what if we get separated out in the woods? It's pretty dark out here tonight..."

"That won't be a problem. I have my torch with me." Unfortunately, the torch went out at that moment, the evanescence of the light a mere glow that soon smothered out. Kaoru silently cursed, tossing the useless torch into the bushes.

"Well, I guess it would be wise to keep physical contact with each other in the dark... At least until the moon reappears," Kaoru calmly resolved.

"Yeah... I agree..." Kenshin followed.

"Good. Well, let's get going now," Kaoru said as she led the way through the trees.

Since she was leading the way - therefore unable to see Kenshin behind her - and because of the darkness - hindering her vision from seeing his face - Kaoru was oblivious to the smirk on Kenshin's face.

* * *

As they walked through the thick underbrush, Kaoru grew restless from the silence. Her hand remained fixed in the grasp of the man trailing behind her as she lead them both through the woods. They were a few meters to the clearing. Kaoru decided to lighten the dusk by speaking first.

"So, Kenshin," she began, "where are you from? You don't look like you're from this area-" Kaoru stopped her sentence by covering her mouth, although it was pointless since she had already said the most incriminating material. How could she have said that out loud? How rude of her!

"I'm so sorry for my rudeness! I didn't mean it to come out that way!..."

Surprisingly, Kenshin just laughed at her words. "It's alright. I've heard it a lot. Many people assume that I'm from Ireland. I've been to the Emerald Isle many times though, and it is a very beautiful country."

"Oh, you've been to Ireland?" she asked. She then thought to herself how foolish she sounded.

Kenshin only nodded. "Oh yes. I've been to lands near and far, but my home has always been Scotland."

"Yes," Kaoru said, "Scotland has always been my home as well. Though, I've never left my village... If I may ask, where are you and your traveling party going?"

Kenshin stopped to think of the best way to describe his destination without telling her all of the detail. "I guess, I'm going to a land that is not on the map."

"Not on the map?" Kaoru repeated quizically. Was he serious? Well, the only place she could think of was: "Are you trying to get to Avalon?" She said it with more questionable comic-relief than seriousness.

Kenshin just snickered. "No. This place is better."

_My god. He _is _serious._

"Well, could you describe it to me?" Kaoru asked, now fully interested in the mysterious, phantom place the stranger was traveling to with other people who more than likely believe it as well.

"All I can say is," he began, "it's perfect. No other words can describe this place as it is."

Kaoru didn't know what to think. Actually, her first thought was that this man had a pretty wild imagination, almost as wild as the village youths. He looked so learned and mature; how could he believe in a place that, apparently, was not on any map? But at the same time, his words seemed so sincere, that he truely believe in his destination (then again, many older men believed in fabled places but never reached their destinations, but Kaoru wasn't going to shoot him down). Kaoru admired that about the stranger. Was it bad to believe in a "perfect world"?

"I hope you get to wherever you are going," Kaoru encouraged. "I wish I could step outside of my village and travel the world. I would just like to get away from this small world."

By this time, the two had past the woods and where in the middle of the vast fields. They looked at each other as the exchanged their words, and the moon was slowly peaking from beneath the clouds. Unexpectedly, Kaoru saw Kenshin grin at her last words.

"Well," Kenshin said, steping closer toward Kaoru, "you could always accompany me on my voyage, if you want."

Kaoru laughed, but with nervousness, not giddy nervousness. The unsettling nervousness. She wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but Kaoru could detect a tone of seriousness in his words, like he was expecting her to allow him to whisk her away from her village off into the unknown.

"It's a nice thought, but I know I cannot," Kaoru said, not entirely lying just to ease herself.

"Why not?" Kenshin asked, startling Kaoru. "What is stopping you?"

Kaoru didn't know if she didn't answer was because she was dumbstruck from Kenshin's rather chilling question, or because she couldn't give a straight answer. Just then, the moon was fully exposed to the sleeping earth as the clouds moved away. The eerily beautiful moonlight gleamed upon everything on the countryside, making all dimly visible to the eye.

"Oh, well, the moon is out now," she announced, trying to change the subject. "We have sufficient light now, so you can let go of my hand." Hesitation filled Kenshin face, yet it remained rather placid. "But what if the moon gets covered again? It'll be nearly pitch dark."

Kaoru wanted to call him a baby, that he was probably scared of the dark, but a man like him couldn't be, especially since he was wandering through the dark just fine (or as fine as you can get when you're lost in the woods) before coming across her, and it would be awful rude to say it, so she didn't. Instead, Kaoru said, "there's no chance of the moon being covered again. The clouds are all gone with the winds. Just stay close and let go of my hand, okay?"

Kenshin stalled for a moment and there was silence. Kaoru's nervousness grew, but Kenshin finally gave his answer: "No."

"Kenshin," the words crept through Kaoru's lips, half in fear, half in anger. "I'm telling you to **let go**."

"...I can't."

"Why not?" Kaoru said, nearly gritting between her teeth. She showed no visible anger, but it was growing in her voice.

"I just can't," Kenshin responded. _And I won't, _he responded in his mind.

"I've had enough!" Kaoru shouted. "Let go of my hand NOW, and you can find the way back to wherever you're from or going to by yourself!"

At that, Kaoru tugged her hand away from his, but his grasp was still firm around her slender hand. She tugged again, but still, she could not budge. Kaoru was, for the second time, beginning to become scared again.

"Kenshin," she said, this time with fear noted in her voice, "please. Let me go!" She stared at him with wide, azure eyes, who was staring at her with placid violet eyes. Not a hint of emotion was found on his face.

But hearing and seeing the fear in her voice and eyes, Kenshin decided to give into her wish of releasing **his **hand. But to Kaoru's horror, she found that her hand was - literally - stuck to his. Their palms lay flat on each others as Kaoru continued to tug her hand away from his with much more force, this time gripping his wrist to apply more force between them.

_What is this?! _Kaoru shouted frantically in her mind as she pulled and pulled. _It's as if I'm _glued _to his hand!_

The warning signs had finally hit her when that thought crossed her mind. Kaoru, who was sitting by a haunted loch - a habitat said to be inhabitated by kelpie - comes across not a pony, but a man. Their hands met and have not separated since then. Was it because the situation called for physical contact, and that the man knew that this would happen? The man was reluctant to let go, even when their was no need. Was he the cause of this? Of course he was! Why else would he say "no" to her pleas? But then there was the adhesive... Kaoru remembered being told that kelpie secreted an adhesive substance from their hides in order to drag lured children to their graves...

It hit Kaoru then that the man before her was the thing that she was dared to meet: the kelpie.

* * *

She could do nothing but tremble before the kelpie in its disguised human form. He stared at her, somewhat impassively, somewhat confused. Kaoru tried to pull and pull away from him in vain.

"It's no use," he spoke, no emotion in his voice. "Only I can dissolve the adhesive secreted from my skin."

Still, Kaoru tried, tried and tried until her arm ached from tugging and pulling, and she gave up. All she could do was hang her head in defeat, gasping for a breath as her heart raced. What was she to do now? All efforts to escape was futile.

"What," she said from beneath her raven bangs, "are you planning to do with me?"

Kenshin remained silent.

Kaoru spoke up again. "I recall from my childhood," she began, "that kelpie drag children to the bottom of the loch in order to eat them." She chuckled effortlessly in between. "I heard that they don't really like the heart or liver, so they leave those parts behind..."

A drop of sweat found its way down Kensin's checkbone, which he found odd.

Maybe it was because soon after, he could hear little sniffles coming from the mass of raven tresses.

"Is this what I get for never heeding my parent's early warnings?" she asked, mostly to herself, "for always deeming their silly little stories as rubbish?" More tears made their why down Kaoru's cheek. "I must say, I never imagined dying this way, or at this time. I wanted to die after experiencing life outside of the village and now-" she sniffled "-I never will!"

Now a fine stream of tears where flooding down Kaoru's smooth cheeks.

Kenshin spoke up at the sight of her tears, the ones he most clearly caused.

"Kaoru-"

"And it's all **your** fault!" she cried angrily before being reduced to more silent sobs. She turned away, covering her composure with her free hand. Kaoru didn't expect the kelpie to feel any compassion for his next meal, but she didn't want him to see her crying either.

Kenshin stared at Kaoru, who was sobbing away from his sight. A feeling much like guilt tugged at his kelpie heart as he heard her crying and for the first time, Kenshin felt shame. He tugged Kaoru to face him, but she kept her face lowered, averting eye contact.

"Kaoru. Kaoru," he called, but she didn't respond, so he just went on. "Kaoru, I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I was never planning on eating you... So you can stop crying. Please."

At that, Kaoru suddenly raised her head, face filled with anger.

"Well if you weren't planning on eating me for dinner, then why did you glue me to yourself?!" she practically shouted.

Kenshin looked away, with a face of embarrassment. Kaoru couldn't understand his reasonings, but he finally spoke.

"I- I can't exactly say..."

At this point, Kaoru became quite annoyed.

"Tell me. **Now.**" Kenshin could have sworn that he saw flames in the depths of the blue, so he decided to avoid her wrath as best as possible and turned his head to tell her his original plan. Kaoru saw that he displayed a wide, childish grin on his face (with added mischief). She didn't know if that disturbed her more than his emotionless facade from earlier.

"Well, if you must know," he began to say as he scratched his chin, "you're going to be my wife, and then I'm going to take you to Tír na nÓg."

All Kaoru could do was stare utterly dumbfounded, as she said this word:

"...What?"

* * *

A/n:

So, I'm diving into a bit of Celtic mythology in this fic, with the legend of the Kelpie: a supernatural water horse spirit that is said to inhabit lakes and lochs. It appears to be a lost pony, but is characterized by its wet mane. It especially attracts children, who when they reach out to pet it, they become stuck to its hide. The kelpie then drags the child (in some cases, children) to the depths of the loch where it devours them, except for their liver and heart. So as you can see, not to be confused with a unicorn.

However, there was one exception to this tale, which was the inpsiration of this fic. On the way to Tír na nÓg (Tír na nÓg will be explained in the next chapter) with other mystic folk, one Kelpie decided to separate to find a wife. He found a girl who was said to be clever, and she consulted the village wiseman about her situation. The kelpie ends up being captured and forced to work until he learns compassion. Afterwards, he finally learns to have a heart, and is given the choice to proceed with his journey to Tír na nÓg, or to drink a potion to make him into a true human. He decides to drink the potion to be with the girl, and his memory of being a kelpie is erased so he can marry the girl whom he had fallen in love with. If you think I just gave the entire story away, don't. I still plan on making my own twists and turns in this tale, just like with "River of Stars", so don't think ahead just yet. ^_~ After all, if I wrote Kenshin getting captured by the village wiseman and having him just work, that wouldn't be four chapters, more like two and a half at the most. Plus kind of boring. ^_^;

Ocardian/Selkie: one who inhabits the Orkney Islands, an archipelago located in Northern Scotland. The selkie legend orginated from here. The legend of the selkies are very similar to the other myths in the similar format (the maiden who has a supernatural robe/skin and is forced to marry a human man if he steals it from her). For more on selkies, I suggest reading "Sealskin" by LadyShiin. It's a beautiful a/u RK fic.

Banshee: I assume that everybody has some common knowledge of the banshee, a female spirit who was said to be an omen of death. When you heard your wails, somebody was going to kick the bucket soon. She has a Scottish counterpart as well.

The Witching Hour: Just like I said in the fic, it's suppose to be the peak of supernatural activity, usually lasting from 12 at night to 3 in the morning. At this time, ghosts, demons, witches, and other creatures that go bump in the night are said to be at their most powerful and active, and black magic at its most effective. You see that a lot of paranormal shows do their investigations at this time.

Avalon: Though a part of Athurian legend and not a part of Celtic Mythology, Avalon is often paralleled with Tir na nOg, which, again, will be explained in the next chapter. Of course, if you're that restless, you can always wiki it...

Oh yeah! "Viscid" means "adhesive". Yeah, I was going to call this fic, "Stuck to You" but it sounded so cliche and corny...

And don't worry about the Kaoru crying. It's more of just William Goldman (guy who wrote "The Princess Bride") -style humor/writing as you can see, even if I utterly failed at it.

On a last note, as you can clearly (or maybe to some of you, unclearly) see, the status doesn't say "complete" so I am planning three more chapters at the most. So, just sit tight. It'll be done forever by sometime in December.

Cya.


	2. Follow

**Chapter Two: Follow**

**Warnings: Same from the last chapter. You were warned.**

Kaoru didn't know what to do. Or to think. So she just continued to stare at Kenshin with the most confused of looks, right at his rediculously childish smile that she just wanted to smack clear off of his face like she was a mother giving her poorly misbehaved son a beating. She blinked some, and after that, she decided to speak up again.

"I don't believe I heard you correctly the first time," Kaoru stated quite calmly. "Can you care to reiterate, VERY clearly?"

"I said," Kenshin began to state very clearly, "that you're going to be my wife, so then we can go to Tír na nÓg."

Kaoru wanted to somehow smack that smug, gleeful tone from his voice too. He said it as if he was expecting her to agree with him with absolutely no questions involved. That made her angry.

"'Tír na nÓg'..." Kaoru repeated under her breath. _Where have I heard that before?..._

"That's right. I speak of Tír na nÓg," Kenshin proclaimed proudly. "'The Land of Eternal Youth'."

It all came back to Kaoru at that point. Another silly bedtime story of course. Still, Kaoru shook her head.

"No way. There is **no way** that what you speak of is real," Kaoru tried to disprove.

"But it is real," Kenshin corrected her with pride. "Just like Avalon."

Kaoru just stared at him with utter (and stupid) disbelief.

"Yes," he continued, turning his head to the skies, as if wistfully reminiscing, "Tír na nÓg is a wonderful place, a place where nothing bad ever happens and where all beings live together in harmony. It is, indeed, Heaven on Earth." Kenshin turned toward Kaoru with a big grin plastered on his face. "And you're going to accompany me on my journey there, that you are."

And all Kaoru could say was, "no."

In response, all Kenshin could say was, "what?" as the grin dissolved from his countenance.

"This is what I said: No. Want me to spell it out for you? N-o. In Gaelic? Welsh??? Once again, my answer is 'no'."

Kenshin just stood, baffled at her words. Did she really just say "no"?

"I refuse to believe that a silly, make-believe land like 'Tír na nÓg' (or Avalon for that matter) is real. It's just a myth, and everything that has happened is fraudulent: you're not a kelpie, because THEY DON'T EXIST," Kaoru finalized, crossing her arms across her chest (or, at least that was what she was planning on doing before remembering that her hand was stuck to his).

However, Kaoru did not recieve the reaction that she had expect. Kenshin only smirked at her words. To him, they were humorous, empty, a fable to his ears. Kenshin put on his innocent facade. "But Kaoru," he began, with wide purple eyes, "everything that has transpired in the past twenty minutes _is _real, because if it wasn't, you wouldn't be stuck to me right now."

Kaoru merely frowned at his annoying - but most creditably true - words as he smiled that goofy smile that she had recently grown to hate.

"Okay, maybe this is real. Maybe there is a phantom island not recorded on the maps where people live in eternal bliss, and maybe you are some rabid, water pony, but alas-" she turned her head toward the sky, eyes closed and nose stuck out "-I'm not going with you."

It was Kenshin's time to frown now. "Why not?" he asked.

"Well, for starters, you're trying to kidnap me and force me to marry you."

Kenshin nodded his head in honesty. "True. Why else?"

Kaoru stalled, trying to fix another violation that he enacted upon her that night. "And, well, there's absolutely no way that I can trust a stranger, so I can't and won't go with you."

Raising an eyebrow, Kenshin stared at her nonchalantly. "You know," he started, "for someone who says that she does not trust me, I say that it is quite odd that you would be so quick to help a strange man, in the middle of the night, in a secluded area, far away from the nearest village. Don't you think?"

He got her there.

Still, Kaoru would not admit defeat here. "That was when I believed you to be a handsome, Irish gent who got lost in a foreign land, not an aquatic, child-eating pony!"

He blinked and stared with complexity at Kaoru's words. Then it turned in a sly, seductive smile.

"You think I'm handsome, do you?"

_Stupid! Why did you have to say that out loud? _Kaoru scolded herself as a light blush crept onto her cheeks. She hoped that Kenshin could not see it in the moonlight. After a moment or two of embarrassment, Kaoru shook her head, blush and all, and resumed her glare at him.

"Don't change the subject!" she yelled at him, trying best to intimidate him. The smirk remained on his face, still. "The bottom line is, I will never become your wife, not in a **thousand years**!"

All Kenshin said was, "I think I can wait that long on Tír na nÓg," adding a smile that infuriated the blazing girl in front of him moreso. "When a thousand years is up, THEN you'll become my wife!"

Kaoru gritted between her teeth as she fisted her free palm. She stomped her foot on the ground, hard.

"You, are, **absolutely, **_**infuriating!**_!" Kaoru nearly shrieked in his face, standing on her toes in order to do so. With that, Kenshin began to get rather confused at this rage over "nothing".

"What is wrong with you?" he asked her, clearly oblivious of her feelings toward the situation. "I thought that human girls _wanted _to get married at this age."

Kaoru gapped her mouth at his assumption. This man was not only clearly arrogant, annoying, and aggravating, his was totally inconsiderate. Not to mention dense.

"Well, you thought wrong!" she corrected. "Although most girls would like to be **courted**-" she emphasized the word "court" in case he was really that dense "- I am the exception, because I don't want to get married. Period!"

Her anger at him made her so emotional, that she felt warm tears of stress form in her eyes.

"And you can't force somebody to love you through marriage!" She felt one tear trickle down her cheek, so she turned away to hide her face again. Kaoru hated this. She hadn't cried in so long, and now it was all pouring out tonight.

While she did that, Kenshin just stared at her, those feelings of shame and guilt tapping at his heart's wall again. He didn't really feel good about making Kaoru cry so much. He honestly thought that she would agree with his plan. She seemed like the open-minded type when he saw her by the loch. Maybe she needed time.

"Kaoru," he began, as sincerely as possible, "I'm sorry that I made you feel this way, but you must understand. In all of my travels, I have never met anybody like you." He brought there connected hands up, and caught her free hand so that he could covered both of her hands with his free hand. "You have especially interested me, and I want to direly get to know you, at any means neccessary."

For the first time that evening, Kenshin had a truely sincere face. _That's a pretty nice facade, _Kaoru thought cynically. She was wondering what he was up to, when she noticed the position they were in. Both of her hands were in his clutches, and she was forced to look up at his face. She stared straight into his amethyst eyes, barely seeing hues of amber in the dim moonlight. She had to admit again that his eyes were quite lovely - beautiful even - as they bore tunnels into her pools of cerulean. Kaoru was at first afraid that he was trying to hypnotize her with his eyes. _No. Kelpie can't do that_, she thought, her first reassured thought since encountering him. Her thoughts trailed back to their position: with both of her hands caught by his, she couldn't turn away, especially if he had glued them together again. Stupid Kaoru! With their bodies so close, what if he tried to, _kiss her_?

The thought of kissing a malevolent spirit pony wasn't very keen to Kaoru.

But she had to admit,

his lips looked quite, tasty.

But he was a pony.

Before anything could possibly happen, Kaoru spoke. "Gluing two people together is a bad way to start a relationship," she said disgruntly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to, but I was afraid that you would run away," Kenshin admitted to her, pure honesty in his voice. This didn't faze Kaoru one bit.

"Gee. I wonder why I would run away?" she muttered under her breath. She saw Kenshin frowning at her, so she averted her gaze to the side. Kaoru inhaled, and then decided it was best to try to compromise. They let a lot of steam out. Maybe he had a change of heart?

"Okay, Kenshin," she said his name for the first time since finding the truth. "I will consider being your _acquintance_, if you let me go." That was fair, wasn't it? She wasn't a friend, wasn't a girlfriend, and by far, wasn't a wife. But an acquintance could grow to be a friend, then a girlfriend, and then perhaps - in a million-to-one chance in this situation - a wife. Hopefully by then, he would have gotten bored with his childish quest and had trotted off to find another viable victim. This, however, did not please Kenshin.

"No."

Kaoru sucked in a rigid breath, not in anger, but in anxious disbelief. He said it so simply, almost maliciously. "Why not?" she strained.

"After all that you have said, I am most definately sure that if I were to release you, you would run away." He closed in toward her face, almost touching noses. "And I wouldn't like that - ever."

Kaoru gulped at his adament, cruel words. He was truely serious. No amount of insults or arguements would cloud his tunnel vision. She didn't know what else to do, except just exhale in defeat, hanging her head low in humility once again. Kaoru did, however, try to make own more compromise.

"If I agree to go with you to Tír na nÓg, and wait for marriage until we arrive," she breathed, "will you release me?"

Kenshin pondered, staring at her defeated form with hard, suspicious eyes. "How do I know that I can trust you?" he asked rather harshly.

"If I could trust you, a complete stranger, couldn't you trust the woman whom you want as a wife?" was all Kaoru said, quietly from beneath her bangs. No snappy comebacks, no witty insults, just the die-hard truth that made Kenshin's eyes soften for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "Very well," he said. Before he disbanded them, he tugged lightly, but definately, at their hands. "But if you step out of my line of sight - and do decide to escape from me - I will track you down for eternity." His eyes flashed amber, a shade that told her that she ought not disobey him, or else face penalty. Kaoru grimly nodded, closing her eyes as she did so.

Why did that look of sadness on her face bother him so?

Kenshin dissolved the adhesive from their hands, separating them both. Kaoru touched her hand with the other. It felt as if she had never held anyone's hand the entire time. Kaoru didn't thank him, though. She just turned around, leading him toward the village a distance away, silently.

_Even though I am not stuck to him_, she thought, _the true imprisonment has begun._

* * *

They continued walking, the distance between them and the village closing with each step. Larger steps coming from Kaoru, of course, since she wanted to keep an agreeable distance between she and the kelpie. She didn't turn around once since he had released her, so he couldn't see him silently observing her.

Kenshin noted how she walked with confidence in the night, like she was use to walking about at this hour. He wondered what the girl was doing at the loch at that hour of the night. He remembered he first spotted her by the loch: she was just sitting in the dark, the only light with her the torch. Though all alone in the middle of the night, she did not seem to be particulary alert. She appeared more bored than anything. Kaoru certainly handled herself well in the face of pontential danger and mystery. Although she released some tears tonight, Kenshin was sure that she was not accustomed to crying so. That feeling tugged at his heart again, remember that he was the one responsible for making her cry. It was beginning to become very annoying, since he didn't fully understand the feeling.

He then went to observe her appearance. She wore men's work clothes, fitted for a girl. Though for a man of the same size, the trousers and blouse fitted her really well, showing off her petite figure. She kept her hair up in a high ponytail, but her ebony tresses still managed to fall over her eyes and shoulders from time to time.

An evanescence of a feeling crept up his spine. He recalled this feeling when he first spotted her, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. He remembered seeing it before, but now, it was stronger. And situated in his lower regions...

Kenshin just imagined how she would look in the light.

And even though the outer mood certainly didn't call for it, Kenshin could help but smirk and try to emulate the human feeling of happiness as best as he could.

_She will be the perfect wife._

His reverie over for the time being, Kenshin returned his mind to the fact at how distant and silent Kaoru was, clearly upset after what had just transpired. Maybe she was right: that his angle was not the best way to do this "courting" behavior. He decided to reconcile and speak.

"Kaoru," he spoke, "you don't have to be afraid of me... Remember, I said that I wasn't going to eat you, so you don't have to continue giving me the silent treatment." He thought that that cleared up all of the misgivens. It was the truth after all.

Kaoru didn't think so, however.

She stopped in her tracks, turning around to face him after a few seconds passed. She was stupified by his discreet insensitivity, even if he wasn't aware of it (yes; he was clearly dense).

"Well," she started with severity in her raspy voice, "I think you'd be grumpy too if a complete stranger pretending to be a human but was really a kelpie came and took your freedom away."

Kenshin decided not to answer that. He wasn't sure of what to think, or try to feel, but his good friend Guilt was giving him a few hints.

They began to walk again, but not after a few paces did they see the lights of the village lanterns. Kaoru sighed in relief. "Okay. We're almost there. It'll be another twenty or thirty minutes until we get there, so let's pick up the pace, shall we?"

It was clear that Kaoru's mind might have wanted her to pick up the pace, but her body wasn't. Her steps became slower, languid, and stuttered. She began to yawn frequently and rub her eyes, trying to keep herself awake as she pressed on. Seeing that she was exhuasted from all of the events that had transpired that night, Kenshin decided to show her a different side of him. A v_ery _different side of him. Then maybe he could get the hang of this "courting" thing.

"Are you tired, Kaoru?" he asked from behind her. Kaoru shrugged. "I'm fine," she brushed off.

Kenshin crept behind her, whispering in her ear. "Would you like me to carry you?"

At the sensation of his breath tickling the hairs on her neck, Kaoru rolled her shoulder to brush him away from her ear. She turned around, sporting a smile. Not a sincere smile, especially after this night. More of a saracastic smile.

"Look, Mr. Kelpie," she said, looking straight at him, "you may have the looks (I admit), but I doubt that your brawns are enough to carry my - plus your - weight."

With that, Kaoru turned around, aiming to continue this trek.

"Who said anything about carrying you in _this _form?"

She heard the mysterious - but must evident - sound of bones and sinew shifting. Kaoru dared to turn around to wittness what was happening behind her, but she refrained. All she saw was a dim blue light glow from behind her, and it was done. She turned around, only to have her eyes widened at the sight.

Kenshin was not the human shape-shift, but the kelpie.

And was anything but a pony.

He was a tall and sturdy stallion, hide as pale as snow. The only color was his fiery red mane and tail, which drooped downward in straight tendrils. In awe, Kaoru took a step toward him, but halted. _How could a creature so beautiful and gentle-looking drag children to their watery graves? _she thought inwardly as she continued her silent idolization of the creature in front of her. As if he could tell what she was thinking, the stallion that was Kenshin gestured his head and hoof for Kaoru to come closer. She didn't know why she knew what he was gesturing, or why she even complied, but she did. Step by step, she approached him. Walking past his large eyes - that remained its violet hue - and his head, Kaoru allowed her hands to sift through his silk-like mane. So hypnotized by his startling beauty, that Kaoru forgot that he was no ordinary horse, but a water horse: a kelpie.

It felt much like a surprise when Kaoru rested her hand on his side, finding out that his hide was in its adhesive state.

"Hey!" she shouted in anger, trying to pull away, but as usual, to no avail. Kenshin neighed: a neigh that oddly sounded like laughter.

"Shut up!" Kaoru stuttered. "You tricked me! Again!"

_Note to self: NEVER trust the hypnotic water horse, _Kaoru reminded herself as she scratched her forhead in aggravation. She was too tired to deal with all of this. All she wanted to do was go home, change into her night gown, climb into her cozy bed, and wake up hoping that this was all some wierd dream.

Just then, Kaoru bumped her, sending Kaoru hopping back, still connect. Then he did it again.

"Stop that!" she ordered him. He didn't listen, because he bumped her again, this time sending Kaoru hopping toward him, connecting her other hand to his hide, higher up his side. Now both of her hands were stuck.

"Why you-!" Kaoru began. She knew that both of her hands were stuck, but she decided to give tugging a try in order to at least raise one hand up in order to hit him.

Only this time, the lower hand was released.

Kaoru stood - rather hung by her toes - baffled at the display. He just released one hand. Only one though. Why? After a few second, the position began to hurt her, so she tried to grip onto his skin with her free hand hoping that he would not glue her to him again.

He did. But he allowed the other hand to go free this time. Now Kaoru was barely hanging off of the ground. Registering what Kenshin intended her to do, Kaoru brought her free hand up higher, which became stuck to his skin as the other hand was released, and did the same with other hand, until she was able to climb onto his back. She was now in a sturdy position atop his back, since Kenshin stuck her legs to his side to prevent her from falling off from such a high position. Kaoru had to admit that she was pleased.

"Well, now," Kaoru said, searching the landscape for the village from her higher position. "It's good to know that you can be conciderate from time to-"

Kaoru wasn't able to finish that sentence, because Kenshin had already sped off toward the village, limiting their duration of travel from thirty to ten minutes.

* * *

Reaching the village border, Kaoru tried to quell her rapidly beating heart as Kenshin began to halt to a stop. When he did, Kaoru found that her sitting position was much looser, so she figured that Kenshin dissolved his adhesive bond to her. She took this opportune chance to jump off, landing rather hard on her feet. When she got her composure together, she found that Kenshin had shape-shifted to his human form, straightening his trousers and shirt out from under his suspenders.

Kaoru huffed, still trying to breathe evenly. "You could have told me that you were going to go that fast!" she scolded, ever so slighty so she wouldn't awaken any of the villagers, who were bound to be sleeping (except for those who dared her, but she wasn't going to deal with them this night). Kenshin smiled that innocent smile again. "It would have been hard for me to have told you, since horses are incapable of talking. Even supernatural ones." He showed his teeth, which were pearly white. "I didn't even know that you were disturbed by my speed. It sounded like you enjoyed it."

"I was gasping for air from the shock of traveling that fast!" she correct with daggers in her eyes. Kenshin looked away, childishly as usual. Kaoru scoffed as she straightened her clothes as well. Then she walked past him, intending to lead him to her home. After his revelation that night, she doubted that he was going to stay at the local inn and tavern.

* * *

They had reached a small house at the rim of the village. It was a distance away from the other structures, but it was still in the main vacinity. It was well kept, though not externally lavished. The house was a single story, so there were few occupants in the residence. Kaoru approached the door first, grabbing a key from her trouser's pocket. She unlocked to door, swinging the entrance open. Kaoru stepped dominately in front of Kenshin as they entered the house.

The first think you felt in the house was the cold lingering in the air. But as soon as Kaoru lit the lamps, the warmth returned. Now that there was light, one could see the interior of the house. It was a small home, but it was extremely capable of holding the right amount of warmth, never over-exceeding. The first room was the sitting room, which doubled as the cooking area, with a cast-iron stove to one side, and a fireplace to the other. Kaoru took no concern in starting a fire tonight; she walked right past it.

"Would you like something to eat?" Kaoru started out, almost politely, but not quite there. "I don't think you would be hungry, seeing that I'm not well stocked in children."

Was she forever going to use that stereotype against him?

"I'm not like that, you know," Kenshin said in his defense. He gave her a frown to carry out his case, but she only stared at him impassively.

"Well, you've already shown enough of your persona tonight, I suppose."

Kenshin kept silent as Kaoru continued toward the other end of the house, toward the bedrooms. He saw two doors on the opposite end of the house, one of which Kaoru was heading toward. "I'm tired, so if you don't mind-"

Kaoru, who had made it to the doorway of her room, blockaded the entrances from Kenshin, who followed her. _He had better not be thinking what I think he is thinking_, Kaoru thought as she glared coldly at him. In return, he glared just as impassively at her.

"Like I said before: 'Do you mind?'" Kenshin remained standing in front of her, Kaoru being the only blockade between her and him entering her room where she was intending to change clothes. Irritated by his silence, Kaoru decided to educate him.

"You can't come in here while I'm changing! That's absolutely forbidden!"

Now Kenshin began to scrutinize her words, looking at her with suspicion. Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not going to try and escape through the window, so you can calm down and sit down. I kept my word," she reassured him.

Reassurance reinstated, Kenshin left her to change in solace. After she had slammed the door in his face. He turned to walk toward the sitting area, thinking about his decision with hardlines on his face.

_It would have been nice to see her change._

While utimately regretting his decision, Kenshin passed by the second bedroom, which seemed to be vacant, except that it had items and possessions neatly arranged. For a moment, Kenshin's eyes glimmered amber. Was another a person - a man - living with her? If it was a man, Kenshin would be sure to take care of him, the kelpie way. Kenshin entered the room to investigate it further. He saw various items adorning the room: plaid quilts, a hand mirror, a pipe, and a bagpipe displayed in one corner. He looked in the chest at the foot of the bed to find dresses, suits, and other small possessions.

Kenshin was brought to the conclusion that a man did live here, but also another woman, since some of the clothing was too big for Kaoru to wear. But he also concluded that it was some time ago, since an amount of dust was collect on the items.

* * *

Kaoru emerged from her room, sporting a white, wooly, night gown, perfectly suited for the chilly night. She had finished brushing her long, raven hair to prevent tangling during the course of the night, but allow it to be free flowing until she braided it. She had an extra sleeping garment in her hand. Once out of the room, she saw that Kenshin had started a fire in the fireplace, and was sitting on the floor, watching the dancing flames.

Kaoru tossed Kenshin the extra sleeping garment. "Here's a night gown for you. You may wear it if you wish," she suggested while combing her hair with her fingers, preparing to braid her tresses now that her hands were free.

"Thank you," Kenshin said, but his words fell silent as he began to stare at Kaoru combing through her long, now waist-length hair. Now that she was in the light, he saw how pale, pure, and creamy her youthful skin was. So pale was her skin that a blush would show beautifully on her cheeks, all the way down to her breasts. Unfortunately, Kaoru's shape was hidden under the folds of the nightgown... The feeling of red, hot, heat entered Kenshin once again as he wittnessed her beginning to braid her silky, ebony tresses. If only he could stare at her beauty forever...

Well, unfortunately he couldn't, since Kaoru was growing quite disturbed at his staring eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Kaoru asked discreetly. Kenshin blinked out of his reverie, then put on a smug smile.

"Nothing," he answered, in an equally smug voice. Feeling that she didn't have to tolerate anymore of his flamboyant attitude for that night, Kaoru scoffed and turned away toward her room, leaving the kelpie to his devices.

"Kaoru," Kenshin spoke in a more placid tone, causing Kaoru to stop.

"What is it?"

"I remember asking you earlier what it was that was stopping you from going to Tír na nÓg with me."

_Gee, I wonder what _would _have stopped me from going away to a mystical land with a complete strange, kelpie or human?_

"Yeah, so?" Kaoru responded, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well, I haven't _met _your parents yet," he hinted to her, trying to get the answer that he wanted. He at first expected another scolding with Kaoru calling him a rabid, baby-eating pony, then yelling, "SHUT UP!" in his face, storming off to her room and slamming the door hard enough to awake every Scotsman from the lowlands to the highlands. But he was taken aback when he saw that Kaoru displayed a smile: a sad smile.

"Yes. That's right," she answered quietly, hiding her eyes under her bangs. "That's because my parents are dead."

Kaoru left the kelpie sitting on the floor in silence and entered her room once again.

* * *

Lying in her bed, Kaoru squirmed underneath the covers. She tried to closes her eyes and fall alseep, but something was preventing her from doing so.

Maybe it was because the kelpie kept watching her, from a chair across the room.

He sat crossed legged on the chair, arms folded. He had put on the night shirt and pants that Kaoru had given to him. His sharp eyes, now a shade of amber, where intent on her form, never blinking once. After awhile, Kaoru decided to take it up a notch by staring back at him.

The match was on.

Kaoru wasn't sure how long she kept watching him, but he didn't falter once. She felt herself blink a few times, but she didn't care, and she didn't think he cared either. After awhile, Kaoru didn't even remember why she was staring at him. Kenshin's form was hypnotic, moreso when he had such a hard expression plastered on his face. Suddenly, she realized she couldn't win this way (even though it wasn't really a game in the first place). He was too... serious. Kaoru growled lowly and glared at him.

"Excuse me," she interrupted, sitting up slightly, "but are you going to watch me like that all night? It's kind of hard to go to sleep with you staring at me like...._that_."

Kenshin lightly shrugged, shutting his eyes for the first time in several minutes, then opening them again to continue his gaze on her. "I'll keep watch on you until you fall asleep - even if you don't go to sleep."

Kaoru scoffed. Annoyed, frustrated, and tired, she turned over on her side, toward the window, diverting her gaze from his figure. God. This man was so impassionate. Well, what could she expect from a _kelpie_? He was so maddening and infuriating with his dominate - not to mention childish - behavior. He acted like a child defending a small toy with his life, but at the same time dismantled it with their possessiveness. It made her sick.

But why did his distrust in her sting her?

"Don't you think you're being a little unfair?" she whispered, half hoping that he would hear her, half hoping he wouldn't.

"What was that?" Kenshin asked after hearing her mummur something.

"...Nothing," she responded, snuggling more into the mass of sheets, trying to allow the warmth that circulated in them to lull her to sleep. It didn't help much. It was chillier than normal that night, that much was clear since the seasons were changing from fall to winter. Despite that she was wearing a thick nightgown and had a quilt covering her, Kaoru still shivered. Kenshin observed this from his seat, since the covers were thin enough to allow him to see her soft tremors. Kenshin silently sighed at her display.

"I will stop my visual for this night," he announced to her. Kaoru sighed in relief. At least now she could go to sleep without having that creepy feeling that someone was watching her lingering over her. And at least Kenshin was that considerate from time to time. _His "consideration" usually comes at a price though, _a voice from the back of Kaoru's head warned her. But Kaoru decided to just lay off this one time. She was so tired.

"Thank you" was what she began to say until she felt the covers being pulled over and a body crawling behind her.

"What the-?" Kaoru began, but her eyes widened as she felt strong arms wrap around her, bringing her lithe body closer to his. Even though they both wore sleepwear, she could feel his strong figure molding onto hers, as he could also.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she snapped, anger and embarrassment crossing her voice. Though she could not see him, Kaoru could feel that smug smiling crossing his features.

"I've found a better way to keep watch on you," he said with a smugness that matched his features.

"Why you..." Kaoru pented. Why was he doing this? Further more, she hated how she could feel the blush covering her face. She wanted to punch him so badly now, but then, unexpectedly, Kenshin asked, "don't you feel warmer now?"

Kaoru stopped at his words. Kenshin shifted a little, allowing both of them to become more comfortable in the small-framed bed. Although his arms were braced around her form, in no way was he touching her inappropriately. From being so close to him, she could feel the rise and fall of his chest as his heat transferred to her body. _I am feeling much warmer now, _she admitted to herself. Of course she wouldn't admit it to _him_ though. So Kaoru just decided to peep that "thank you" that she was going to earlier.

"Thank you," she peeped, just like she had planned.

Satisfied by her reaction, Kenshin confidently smiled. _One step closer, _he thought. Now, it was time that both of them get some sleep, for what was to come tomorrow would be quite arduous from that point on.

"Good night, Nixlet," Kenshin said, grinning as he began to drift off to dreamland himself.

"Good night," Kaoru said in return, leaving the quarrel that they had earlier behind as she allowed sleep to overcome her with a yawn.

All was still and quiet in the room.

Then Kaoru opened her eyes at realization.

"Wait. _Nixlet_???"

* * *

A/n:

Ah. So now I will explain Tír na nÓg. In Gaelic, it literally means "Land of Eternal Youth" or "Land of the Blessed". Actually, their are many variations to the name, but it all means the same. Tír na nÓg (sorry, I couldn't find a pronounciation of it. Come to think of it Gaelic reminds me of Viet, in a way), was in no way an underworld, more of a phantom island place. It was said to be a wonderful place, where one was always happy and you never aged. There was no death, sadness, or illness, and you didn't even need to eat. The temperature was always pleasant and peaceful, and it was a place where beauty, music, strength, life, and all things pleasurable came together. It was pretty much Heaven on Earth. In order for one to get to Tír na nÓg, you had to go on an arduous journey, or you were invited by a fairy resident. There are many parallels of Tír na nÓg from around the world, such as the Norse Vahalla, the Greek Elysium, and the Athurian Avalon.

So intended to make a joke when Kaoru was saying "no" in a variety of ways. One was when she said it in Scottish Gaelic. To my bitter amusement, I couldn't find the word for "no" in Gaelic, because there is, oddly enough, no direct translation of "yes" and "no". So, I guess instead of answering a question like "Will you go with me?" with a simple "no", you would have to say "I will not be going with you" or something like that. I don't know the language, but, I will diffently be picking up some words.

Also, there is a mythological factor in the little "term of endearment" that Kenshin gave Kaoru: "Nixlet". I derived this from the word "nix", which, in Germanic mythology, is any shapeshifting water spirit that usually appears in human form. Though nix are from Germanic mythology and kelpie from Celtic, a kelpie would be considered a type of nix if they transformed into human form.

My intent for this fic is to be romantic comedy, but still some seriousness in it. I'm sorry if I suck at comedy.

And I forgot to mention some background details about this story. As you know, it takes place in Scotland, but around the early 1900s. So, no TVs or cars (there might have been cars by that time, but not here).

I might be updating "River of Stars" soon. I'm going to try and get on "An Unkept Memory" next week, since Thanksgiving break is then and I'll have some time on hand. Also, I might consider making a community that aims at archiving supernatural/fantasy/folkloric fics for Rurouni Kenshin. If you're interested, hit me up with a PM.

One more thing: For the love of G-d, ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER DATA, whether your documents, pictures, music, videos (*cough!*porn!*cough!*), etc. I had a scare two weeks ago when my lappie didn't turn on. Luckily, my friend bumped it and it turned back on, but I immediately went to the school story and bought a flash drive (it happened on campus). So yeah. If you have too much music and videos to fit on your expandable hard drive or your flash drive, then sync as much of your media as you can onto your mp3 player as you can. And never sell your CDs after you rip music.

You'll thank me if your comp crashes.


End file.
